Container



v Aug. 2, 1949.

T.'H. CRLBB CONTAINER 1 Filed Nov. 12, 1948 Patented Aug. 2, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to containers which, when empty, may be nested for transportation to reduce the shipping space required, and, when filled, may be stacked one upon another without damage to the contents of the containers.

Many containers of this general type have been devised, but these generally have taken the form of an open container having means attached at, or near, the top edge which are movable to form supports for a container to be placed above. To permit nesting, these supports must be moved to positions beyond the perimeter of the container. This increases the overall dimensions of the container, requiring more space for its storage and also limits the depth to which one container can fit within another. The supports being outside the contour of the container proper are in danger of being damaged, and present hazards which may cause injury to persons handling, or working among the containers.

The object of the present invention is to provide a container having supports to permit the stacking of a plurality of containers, the supports being within the perimeter of the container when not in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a container wherein the supports are so positioned that they do not encroach upon the storage space within the container when in either position.

Another object is to provide a container of this type wherein the supports may be held in either of their two positions so that there will be no likelihood of them shifting with respect to the container.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of means to prevent relative movement of the containers when stacked.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention when taken in con junction with the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of several containers embodying the principles of the present invention, the containers being shown stacked one upon another;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through one of the containers;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of a container showing in full lines the supports in inoperative position for nesting, and in dotted lines in operative position for stacking; and

Figure 5 is a detail section taken on the line 55 of Figure 4.

The container of the present invention, in general terms, comprises an open-topped, slopingsided basket, or crate, having slidable and pivotable means secured to its bottom, movable from positions within the perimeter of the bottom for nestin to positions intersecting the bottom perimeter and extending beyond a projection of the top perimeter for stacking.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the container may take many forms, so long as it has slanting sides to permit one container to fit within another. As shown, the crate l is rectangular, having the downwardly converging sides 2 and ends 3 secured to a solid rectangular bottom 4. The side and end walls may be solid of any desired material, but are here shown as composed of tapered slats 5 secured at their tops to a frame member 6 which surrounds and defines the open top of the container. Side rails 1, whose purpose will be later explained, are attached upon the top of the frame 6 along both sides of the container, the rails I being substantially co-extensive with the sides.

Secured to the underside of the bottom 4 is an elongated guide block 8, positioned centrally of the bottom and extending along the longitudinal centerline of the bottom. The block has parallel side edges along which the stacking supports 9 lie when in inoperative position. Supports 9 are elongated rectangular members attached to the bottom of the container by means or the pivot bolts ill, each bolt 10 passing through an elongated slot II in its respective support. Slots 1 I extend longitudinally of the supports and are centrally positioned with respect to the side edges of the supports. The slots are countersunk, as at E2, to receive the nuts on the bolts 10 so that the nuts will not project below the supports and disturb the stability of the containers.

It will be noted from Figure 4 that the pivot bolts ill for the two supports are oppositely positioned, and that with the supports in the positions shown in full lines in that figure the bolts are near the ends of the supports. Actually, the boits are located at the intersection of two vertical planes, one being parallel to the side of the guide block 8 and spaced half the width of the support from said side, and the other being parallel to the end of the block 8 and spaced from said end a distance less than half the width of the support. By positioning the bolt on a plane spaced less than half the width of the support from the end of the guide block, the support, when in the position shown in full lines in Figure 4., is locked against the side face of the guide block so that it cannot swing about its pivot. but may move only in a longitudinal direction. To permit the supports to swing to assume the positions shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, each support is provided with a recess 13 in its side face adjacent the guide block and midway between the ends of the support. When a support is moved longitudinally until the recess I3 is at the corner of the guide block, the support may swing about its bolt It], for the width of the support from the slot to the side is reduced in the recess area and the support may be turned. The recess is preferably only as long as the width of the guide block so that when the support is turned transversely to the container it will become locked against longitudinal movement in this new direction to maintain the support in a central position with its ends projecting equal distances beyond each side of the container.

To insure the supports remaining in their respective positions, that is, to prevent accidental longitudinal movement when in the position shown in full lines in Figure 4, and pivotal movement when in the position shown in dotted lines in that figure, a ball, or any other conventional type, spring catch 14 is provided for each support. A pair of companion detents, l5 and i6, mounted on the container bottom 4, must be used to cooperate with the ball to hold the support in its two positions. These catches increase the ehiciency of the device but are not essential to its operation.

The side rails 1, previously referred to, are

' notched or recessed at H. to provide seats for the supports of the container above to prevent shifting of the containers in a longitudinal direction with respect to one another. Supports 9 are rabbeted on their ends, as at [8 to form shoulders to bear against the side rails 1 to prevent lateral shifting of the containers when stacked.

In operation, the containers may be nested one within another when empty for economical transportation by moving the supports 9 to their inoperative positions, that is, extending longitudinally of the container, as shown in full lines in Figure 4. When in this position, the supports are completely within the confines of the bottom of the container so that the containers may be nested as simply and easily as if no supports were present. The supports themselves, being symmetrically positioned upon the bottom form a stable surface for the containers. When the containers are filled and it is desired to stack them, the supports are moved first longitudinally to bring the recesses l3 to the corners of the guide block 8 whereupon they are swung about their pivot bolts In to position the supports transversely of the container and seat the recesses l3 upon the ends of the guide block to prevent longitudinal movement. The ball catches M will seat in the detents I6 and prevent accidental turning of the support.

.One container is then placed upon another, the

supports of the upper one seating in the notches ll in the side rails 1 of the container beneath, the notches I! and the rabbeted ends 3 of the supports 9 mutually cooperating to prevent longitudinal or transverse slipping of the containers with respect to one another. By providing the side rails l and the particular construction of the supports 9, the containers are capable of being filled flush with their top edges without danger of mashing the contents when the containers are stacked. When the supports are moved to inoperative position, there is nothing extending beyond the contour of the container bottom to consume extra shipping space or to provide a hazard to workmen.

While in the above there has been described one practical embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious that changes may be made from the precise structures shown without departing from the than said container bottom width, said supports being pivotally attached to said bottom for movement to positions in substantial alignment with said bottom length and transversely thereto.

2. A container having a bottom of greater length l than width, a pair of supports of less length than the length of said container bottom but longer than said container bottom width, said supports being pivotally and longitudinally slidably attached to said bottom for movement to positions parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of said bottom, and to positions transverse to said bottom.

3. A container having a bottom of greater length than width, a rectangular guideblock secured to said bottom centrally thereof with its long axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of said bottom, a pair of supports of less length than the length of said container bottom but longer than said container bottom width, said supports being pivotally and longitudinally slidably attached to said bottom at points beyond two diagonally opposite corners of said guide block, whereby said supports may move to positions adjacent and parallel to the sides of said guide block longitudinally of said bottom, and to positions adjacent and parallel to the ends of said guide block transversely of said bottom.

4. A container having a bottom of greater length than width, a rectangular guide block secured to said bottom centrally thereof with its long axis .of said vertical planes being parallel to the side edge of said guide block and spaced therefrom one-half the width of said support and the other of said planes being parallel to the end of said guide block and spaced therefrom less than onehalf the width of said support, and said supports having each a recess in its side face adjacent said block and midway between the ends of said support, said recess being of sufficient extent to embrace the end of said guide block when said support is moved to a position transversely to the longitudinal axis of said bottom. 1

5. In a container as claimed in claim 4, spring catches to hold said supports in positions adjacent and parallel to the sides of said guide block longitudinally of said bottom, and to positions adjacent and parallel to the ends of said guide block transversely of said bottom.

-6. In a container as claimed in claim 4, notches in the top side edges of said container spaced to receive the supports of a similar container when place thereon, and said supports being rabbeted at their ends to form shoulders to abut the sides of a container therebeneath.

TROY H. CRIBB. No references cited. 

